Electrical measuring means



Patented Mar. 9, 1937 UNITED STATE 5 PATENT OFFICE 2.012.931 ELECTRICAL MEASURING MEANS William P. Beattie, Nor-wood, Ohio, alsignor to The American Laundry Machinery Company,

Norwood, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application 8 Claims- This invention relates to electrical measuring means for determining folding points and the like and, more particularly, to an apparatus for folding iiat articles utilizing photo-electric means 5 for positioning such articles.

The invention comprises a machine having traveling conveyor tapes and a folding blade which engages a sheet or other flat foldable article while the same is on the conveyor tapes and m thrusts it between folding rollers to impart a desired fold or folds. It is, of course, essential that the fold be properly located, usually centrally of the length of the article, and the present invention provides means of the nature of photoelectric cells in pairs so positioned that the light from a light source on the photoelectric cells is intercepted by the traveling article and an electrical system, controlling the folding blade and sensitive to the amount of light reaching the cells, may be balanced or unbalanced and thus actuate the blade.

Folding machines, such as those devised for folding laundry flatwork, have heretofore been with elaborate and complex timing insuring that the folding blade will perform its function at the moment when the laundered article has traveled to the proper position for folding the article along the fold line desired, this fold line being selected with respect 3 to the length of the article, which may be variable. The present apparatus aims to do away with such complex timing arrangements and the elaborate interconnecting mechanism necessary to synchronize the operation of folding blades with 35 the speed of the conveying means and to make it possible to fold articles of varying lengths without the necessity of adjusting the machine for each length of article which may be passed therethrough. The means for effecting this result may 40 also be used for measuring other articles presenting a more or less flat area and is not limited to the measurement of lengths since adaptations thereof may be devised to measure widths or to measure both length and width simultaneously. 5 It is, accordingly, tion to provide by the interception of light beams and accurately determining a substantially flat article. Another object of the B invention is to provide a simple and accurate means for determining lines of fold without the use of complex and cumbersome timing devices.

A further object of the invention is to provide a folding machine utilizing photo-electric cells as the measuring means to locate the lines or told.

April 16, 1934, Serial No. [20.838

A still further object of the invention is to provide a folding machine adapted to fold articles of various sizes successively and continuously without need for adjusting the folding means or the measuring means actuating such folding means. Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing, there has been disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention but it will be understood that the invention is capable of further modification without departing from the scope thereof and it is not intended to limit the invention thereto.

In said annexed drawing, Fig. l is a longitudinal section through a folding machine embodying the invention, with the folding blade in inoperative position; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the folding blade in operation; Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 4 is a detail view of a modified arrangement of light-sensitive cell and light source.

Referring to the drawing, standards I and 2 support the machine frame 3 in which are mounted a driven roller 4 and idler rollers 5, 6, 1, and 8, these rollers carrying conveyor ribbons or tapes 9. The roller l is driven from a motor, not shown, by suitable connecting means and conveys the work I I from right to left, as seen in other driven roller I support another work-conveying ribbon l4 positioned in line with ribbon 9 so as to receive work therefrom, the two ribbons being driven in synchromsm..

An article of flatwork is thus conveyed along these ribbons and a folding blade i5 is mounted so as to thrust the article down between the small gap between the two ribbons and between a roller l6 and the ribbon 9 so that the article will be pulled between the roller and the ri ban and thus folded. The folded article drops onto a belt i1 mounted below the conveyor ribbons 9 and it and driven in the opposite direction thereto by driven roller l8 and idler roller IS. The belt l1 conveys the folded article to a stacking table or other collecting device.

The folding blade i5 is pivotally mounted at 2i and has an arm 22 to which one end of a spring 23 is attached, the other end of the spring being attached to the frame 3. This spring urges the folding blade into the downward or folding position, movement of the blade in either direction being limited by a stop 24. The armature 25 of solenoid 28 is also attached to the arm 22 and this solenoid maintains the folding blade in the upper position against the pull of the ter h properly positioned. While complex timing devices have been devised for this purpose, the,

present invention accomplishes the measuring or timing function by means of photo-electric cells Ila and 21b which are positioned to receive light from light sources Ila and 2th. the cells being located on one side of the upper run of the conveyor ribbons or tapes I and II, the article to be folded, and the of the two elements being positioned therebelow. Reflectors I! are provided for reflecting the light from the sources It upwardly toward the ribbons or tapes, which are plural in number and 35 have spaces between individual tapes to permit the passage of light. This light is received by concentrators II enclosing the cells 21 and directingthellghtontothe cells. Itwillbenoted that one cell and associated light source is provided on each side of the folding blade it. Each cell is connected to the same relay circuit but with opposed polarities so that, when no article is passing through the folding machine, the current from one cell will balance that from the other, the light reaching each cell being equal in intensity, and no current will flow, permitting the spring 23 to pull the folding blade into the downward position. If now, an article II is fed onto the conveyor 0, a portion of the light emitted 4 by the source 28a is cut off and, since the light from the source 28b is not intercepted, an unbalanced condition will be set up in the circuit of relay ,3! which causes energization of the solenoid through appropriate electrical connections 45 which will be described and the folding blade II is forced to the upper position illustrated in Fig. 1. This permits the article II to move under the blade and onto the tapes ll until it begins to cut on the light from the source 28b. Wflncethetwocellsaresopositionedthatthe trailing edge of the article will lie under one concentrator 3! while the leading edge lies under the other concentrator, forward movement of the article gradually cuts oil more and more of the light reaching the second cell and begins to permit the passage of more and more light to .the flrst cell. Eventually a condition is reached where the light reaching both cells is the same in quantity and a balanced condition is again so set up in the relay circuit I2. When this occurs, the solenoid It is again deenergiaed and the spring it pulls the folding blade II down to fold the article by thrusting it between roller II and tapes I. It will be observed that this action occurs 66 when the article is equally spaced between the two cells and permits the of equal amounts of light and, since the g blade is situated equidistant between the cells, clewill becentrally folded.

70 Articles of Y centrally by extending the reflectors 20 and ;the concentrators 8| longitudinally of the conveyor tapes, the system being sensitive to any article which is of such length'that its leading and trailbe inthe zones deflnedby the lflin srswiil by the current from the solenoid thereupon varying lengths can thus be folded lineuandlinelltothenegativesideofthetube.

The circuit for the sensitive tube 21a is from the positive side of the tube through line II and line ll, through the coil of the sensitive relay 32, line It and line 42 to the negative side of the tube. It will be noted that the two photo-electric cells or tubes are so connected that the positive side of one tube is connected to the negative side of the other, both circuits feeding the coil of the sensitive relay, and it is thuspossibie to balance the current from one cell against that of the other to render the relay 3! inoperative when both tubes receive the same quantity of light of the same intensity.

The currents thus set up are, as is well known, very weak, and it is necessary to utilize the effeet to control stronger currents in order to operate the folding blade. Accordingly, a operating relay I is Provided which is en from service line Ll through the line 44, resistcontact arm 41, adaptis provided between the lines 44 and ii to insure a low voltage across the contact of the sensitive relay 32.

This operating relay operates the solenoid 26 through the following circuit: From service line LI through line 44, line I! across contact 53, actuated by operating relay 3, through the line 54, througflllie the solenoid 2' and the line 55 to L2.

In be folded enters in at .the feed end of the machine and travels along the conveyor gins to intercept the light flowing lamp 28a to the sensitive tube 21a. occurs, the amount of current generated by the tube decreases, and the balance between the two currents flowing from the two tubes respectively, and which has been equal in quantity but opposite'in polarity, is overcome. The current from cell or tube 21b, now not being balanced other tube, operates the sensitive rellay II which closes the circuit of operating relay it and this. in turn, closes the service line circuit to the solenoid 26. The draws the armature to the left, as seen in Fig. 1. against the pull oi the spring 23, and lifts the folding blade It. The piece continuesiits travel and is enabled to pass under the raised blade since this latter remains raised while the article continues to cut ofl the light from the lamp its. When it has reached the conveyor tapes ll. its leading edge soon from the s and be- When this.

operation of the device, a piece II to of the article commences-to clear the zone of the cell 210. In a short time is admitting an equal amount of light to each of the cells. when this occurs. prevailing before the article was passed through are. in effect, restored. That is. each cell is again receiving the same amount of light and a balance is restored in the circuit to the sensitive relay 3!, which both cells feed, and, shoe the currents generated by each cell are of opposite polarity, no current flows through the sensitive relay and the contact 41 drops. This opens the operating relay is which, in turn, opens the solenoid circuit .and the spring 23 can now pull the downward. The blade pushes the is and the tapes 9, 25 as may be seen in Fig. 2. to fold the article and the latter drops onto the belt II which conveys it to a stacking point. Since the article will be pulled off the tapes 9 and ii at an equal rate during the folding operation, the condition of 3 balance in the sensitive relay circuit will not be disturbed. When the article has been completely removed, the two cells again receive all of. the light from their respective lamps, the condition of balance is maintained and the folding blade remains in the downward position until another article is passed through the folding machine.

The condition of balance between the two opcurrents from the sensitive tubes or cells depends solely on the amount of light getting 40 through from the light sources to the cells and.

consequently, it is. immaterial how much or how little of the light from each cell is cut ofl by the article in podtion for foldin provided only that this is the same for eachcell. A shorter artlcle'will intercept a smaller amount or light intercept a greater amount. The machine will fold either the short or the long article centrally and when the condition is fulfilled that, the leadin edge so of the article lies in the zone of one 'cell at the same time that. the trailing edge lies in the zone of the other cell. The range of the machine can be increasedby l or accumulators 1i, theseselements having an as elongated shape as may be seen inrlga'l or 2 i 8. Practically, the machine may be set up to fold any'length of article presented by commercial sheets, these ranging in sine-from a minimumlength of 80 inches to a maximum length of 108 inches. Thus, themachinemaybe cnstructedtotakeapiece pacity can be made by lengthening the concengiven size may be greater or lesser lengths by sensitive units toward or away from each other. While the invention connection with a construction in which the light-sensitive cells are mounted below the artito be folded, it is possible to reverse the positions the article is covering '10 an equal area in the two units or, in other words,

the conditions the concentrators so that the leading and having a. maximum length of approximately trailing l 'ticle to be folded lie simultaneously in the light the lamp il' have been 10 raystotheceii. tly,thelightisthrown' ccnsequen down upon the article ii and is reflectedupward l5 tor Ii and the amountof light reaching the sensitive cell will increase as the article passes thereunder 2 for controlling the operationv of said folding 40 means.

2. A folding machine omprisin article-conveying means, folding means, a plurality of lightsensitive means positioned in spaced relation along said article conveying means in position to be 45 for controlling the operation of said ;folding means. a

3. A folding machine com rising article-conso veying means, article-folding means, photo-electric cells positioned along said conveying means oneachsideofsaidfoldingmeansandso asto be affected by the passa of an article along said conveying means, and means actuated by said as cells for controlling the operation of said folding 4. A folding machine comprising article-conveyin means, article-folding means, photo-electric cells positioned along said conveying means so on each side of said folding means and spaced edge of' an arbeams of the ve cells, and means actuated by'said cells for controlling the operation of 65 said folding means.

5. A folding machine comprising article-conv'eying means, article-folding means, photo-electric cells positioned along said conveying means spaced from said folding means on 70 each side thereohand means actuated by said cells for controlling the operation of said folding means to fold an article along its center line.

6. A folding comprising article-convewing means. article-folding means, photo-elecll means. light-sensitive means in such manner that the l0 I. A device of the chm-actor described comcurrent from one llght-sensltlve means opposes 10 m menus for moving an article along a path, that iron: another. and means adapted tobe actue plurality of lllht-lensltlve means capable of ated by sald electrically actuated means when the cheating-m electrlc current positioned adjacent amngiutiits of current zenerlllatled by two 01' the llzht- 5 se ve means are uneq llceptedbylnartl .lndsrelayelectrlcellycon- WIHJAMRBEATIIE. l6

DISOLAIIMER 2,072,937.William P. Beanie, N orwood, Ohio. ELECTRICAL Mmstmma MEANS. Potent dated March 9 1937. Disclaimer filed June 24, 1938, by the ee, 17 Amen'can iaundry Machinery Company. enters this disclaimer to claim 8 of said specification.

Mal Gazette July-19, 1988.]

apnea-r Wmlmu P. Bm'rrm DISOLA IMER 2,072,937.Will1'am P. mime Mmstmma M syent d ted BANG. 24, 1938, by the Beanie, Norwood, Ohio. EL 1:. March men'ca this disc] Mal Gazette Jul 

